Sample Exam: Beer Flavor and Evaluation

This is an unofficial answer key. I've supplied what I think are correct answers to the sample Certified Cicerone Exam supplied on the Cicerone.org website. 

I've cited sources and provided links for more in depth study, and I hope that this will aid you in preparing for the exam. 

Please use the comments section to leave questions and/or differences in opinion.  

This answer key uses the following abbreviations: 

TB         Tasting Beer by Randy Mosher 
CBC       The Complete Beer Course by Joshua Bernstein 

Cicerone Certification Program 

Certified Cicerone Exam
April 2008

III. Beer Flavor and Evaluation:
 
74. List the five basic tastes detected by the tongue (one point each):

Bitter, Umami, Sweet, Sour, Salt  (TB p. 30-31)



75. Other than taste, what other senses contribute during evaluation of beer? 
 
Mouthfeel, Visual (TB, p. 35)

76. What should be avoided for at least 15 minutes before beer evaluation? 

Eating, Smoking  (Beer Evaluation and Judging Process)


77. What should the ideal environment for beer tasting be free of? 
  
Odor (TB, p. 81 & Beer Evaluation and Judging Process)


78. When tasting beer what might you want to have available for use between beer samples? 
  
Water (TB, p. 82 & Beer Evaluation and Judging Process)


79. Once you have swirled the beer in your half-full tasting glass, what is the best way to assess the aroma of a beer?

  
A few short sniffs  (TB, p. 90-91)

 

80. What words might be used to describe the flavors imparted in beer by crystal malt?  

Raisin or dried fruit  (TB, p. 44)

81. What words describe the flavors imparted in beer by roasted barley?

Coffee, chocolate  (TB, p. 44) 

82. What words describe the flavors and aromas imparted in beer by the use of American aroma hops such as Cascade and Simcoe. 

Pine, citrus  (CBC, p. 19-21)

83. What words describe the flavors and aromas imparted in beer by the use of European hops such as Hallertau, Saaz and Tettnang.

Earthy, spicy  (CBC, p. 19-21) 

84. What common word(s) do beer evaluators use to describe the flavors that these compounds produce in beer:

Diacetyl: 
buttery  (TB, p. 54)

Dimethyl Sufide (DMS): 
cooked corn, fresh pumpkin  (TB, p. 53)

Acetylaldehyde:  
green apple  (TB, p. 59) 

Acetic acid: 
vinegar  (TB, p. 57) 


Trans-2-nonenal:  
papery, stale, cardboard  (TB, p. 54) 

85. What ingredient is most likely to be responsible for a cheesy flavor in beer? 
 

Cheesy flavor comes from isovoleric acid, which comes from Hops.  (TB, p. 50)


86. What common words describe the flavor experienced in an oxidized beer?

Papery, stale, cardboard (TB, p. 54)


87. A light-struck beer exhibits an aroma best described with what common word?

Skunky  (TB, p. 61)


88. What word do we use to describe a flavor that is like blood or coins?

Blood and coins taste Metallic.  (TB, p. 40) Iron gives blood a metallic taste.

89. If you get a whiff of something that reminds you of rotten eggs while tasting, what word that designates a chemical element would you most likely use to describe that?

 
Sulfur smells like rotten eggs.  (TB, p. 62)

90. At what point in the tasting process are you most likely to notice astringency?
 
At what point in the tasting process ... 
Let's make that more concise: When would you taste a beer's astringency?

Astringency is a puckering sensation caused by tannins binding to proteins in your mouth. When tasting beer, I find that this sensation is most noticeable 
in the finish